BASKETBALL

CYO

St. Chris Jr. Mites fall reach finals of St. Joe’s Tip-Off Classic

The St. Christopher’s Jr. Mite (3rd-4th grade) squad advanced to the finals of the St. Joe’s Tip-Off Classic with quarterfinals and semifinals wins over the St. Joseph’s and St. George’s teams.

In the quarterfinals game, a 28-27 nailbiter against St. Joe’s, John Puksta put in another solid defensive and rebounding effort. Alex Williams, Ameka Okorie, Puksta, Joseph Noon and Andre Laplante all contributed to the scoring effort.

In the 36-20 semifinals win over St. George’s Greek Orthodox Cathedral out of Manchester, St. George’s got great scoring, defense, playmaking and leadership out of Alec Kacavas, but it wasn’t enough to hold back the scoring onslaught from Chase Nickerson, Okorie, Laplante, Puksta, Sydney Bissonette and Chris Inzerillo.

St. Joe’s earned a spot in the finals as well by beating St. George’s in the round-robin phase of the tourney, and eventually outlasted St. Christopher’s to take the Jr. Mite title in another barnburner, 18-16. Also making key contributions for St. Chris were Tucker McLellan, Ben Pressly, James Bolton and Ian Connolly.

MITES (5th-6th grade):

(Girls) St. Elizabeth Seton (Bedford) 25, St. Chris 19

The St. Christopher’s Mite girls lost for the first time this season against a tough St. Elizabeth’s squad from Bedford at the Parish of the Resurrection Center.

Emily Moran was the top St. Chris scorer with nine points, followed by Isabelle Gosselin’s eight. Molly Dee added a basket and played tough defense throughout the contest. Charlotte Labonte, Peyton Ryan, Janessa Palmieri and Gavi Grossman all hustled at both ends of the floor. The Mite girls are now 3-1.

CADETS (7th-8th grade):

(Boys) St. Christopher’s 46,

Blessed John 43

The St. Chris Cadet boys improved to 5-1 with a 46-43 win over Blessed John Parish at Nashua Catholic Jr. High. Myles Cassin-Reed poured in 15 points, followed by Brendan Barrett’s 12. Sam McCarthy and Rob Holbrook scored eight apiece.

Tyler Crisp and Trevor Deane were strong off the bench. A blocked shot by Crisp was followed by a 3-pointer by Reed and subsequent free throws by Holbrook sealed the win.

(Girls) St. Christopher’s 45,

Blessed John 17

The St. Chris Cadet girls imroved to 4-0 with a 45-17 victory against Blessed John Paul Parish at the Nashua Catholic Jr. High gym. All nine members of the team scored in the game, lead by Emma Williams with eight, Megan Kerutis with seven and six, respectively, points apiece for Marie Laplante, Meredith Hall and Victoria D’Anthony. Jackie O’Connell pitched in with four and was tenacious in the low post throughout the game.

Point guard Sarah Shields led with eight assists on the day, while Adaeze Okorie and Jess Zalzal played their typical tough defense and rebounded well.

NIGHTHAWKS

4th Grade

The 4th grade Nighthawks had a great team effort, defeating Pelham 56-27. The ’Hawks received strong inside play from Nevon Roy (14 points, nine rebounds) and Patrick Gillis (seven rebounds, three block shots). Andrew Moody and Casey McNally played very tough defensively, combining for seven steals.

Andrew Penkala (six points), Jeffrey Reza and Chase Hart all added significant minutes on both ends of the floor.

Jake Robbins (seven points) played very well offensively, taking the ball strong to the basket on several occassions.

The Nighthawks also received strong guard play from Spencer Derosier (six points, three steals), Brendon Choate and Gabriel Perrault (five points, six assists).

5th Grade

• The Nighthawks 5th grade team secured its fifth win of the season by defeating Dracut, Mass., 34-17. Alex Amigo led all scorers with seven points, while Ryan Lynn (six points), John Champa (five points), Alonzo Linton (five points), Joshua Reeder (four points) and Xahn Frater (four points) also contributed to the offense.

• The 5th grade Nighthawks beat Methuen, Mass., 60-56 in double overtime. The Nighthawks led through the first half by as many as 10 points; however, Methuen had different plans and made it a close game. Every Nashua player scored, with Alonzo Linton leading the ’Hawks with 12 points. Also scoring were Xahn Frater (nine points); Alex Amigo, Sclyler Boykin and Ryan Lynn each with seven points. Tilak Patel and John Champa chipped in with six points each; and Razz Alkalay and Joshua Reeder each with two points.

6th Grade

The 6th grade Nighthawks defeated Westford 58-44. Rohan Patel played well scoring 12 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. Cyrus Forcier and Owen Amigo chipped in with six points each. Kevin Genao, Joey Bernard and Alex Moody ran the floor well. Max Osgood, Stephen Signorello and Jishnu Siddabathula controlled the boards on both ends of the court. Zach Boyer and Alex Moody led the ’Hawks defensively. DJ Frechette led all scorers with 27 points, including six 3-pointers.

7th Grade

• The 7th grade Nighthawks held on to beat Chelmsford, Mass., for their fifth win of the season. Shane LeGraw and Chad Olivieri forced the issue down low and received quality passes by guards Brint MacDonald and Ben Seegel.

LeGraw snatched 12 boards and was 6 for 12 from the field (14 points). Jarrett Wilson made a few key baskets late in the game, while Dylan Gamache (two rebounds, two steals) and Patrick Sullivan (two rebounds, two assists) also contributed points in the victory. Ryan Penkala (four rebounds, one assist, one steal) provided quality minutes in both halves and continued to play tough defense.

Olivieri once again led all scorers (18 points, 11 rebounds) and made critical free throws down the stretch to preserve the win.

• Nashua fell to Pelham by a point on Tuesday night for their first regular season loss. Dylan Gamache (two points, two steals) provided the ’Hawks with hustle and tough defense and Garrett Bozek gave the team solid minutes in his first game back from injury.

Ben Seegel (six points) and Ryan Penkala contributed to the offense, while Collin Morrow and Casey Fisher played tough defense. Chad Olivieri (23 points, seven rebounds) and Shane LeGraw (nine points, five rebounds) were also strong in the loss.

• The 7th grade Nighthawks came out flat, with lots of turnovers and missed layups, but still managed a 44-42 victory over Tewksbury. The defense stepped up and created turnovers that energized the Nashua offense.

Ryan Penkala led the team with six defensive rebounds, while Ben Seegel (16 points) provided some early offense and key 3-pointers.

Brint MacDonald and Casey Fisher showed relentless hustle and protected the ball. Chad Olivieri (20 points, 13 rebounds, six steals) overcame a rough first half and converted a traditional three-point play with a minute remaining to secure the lead.

Patrick Sullivan, Collin Morrow and Dylan Gamache provided a spark off the bench, adding three steals and constant defensive pressure.

WRESTLING

BGCGN solid at Manchester YMCA

The Boys and Girls Club of Greater Nashua youth wrestling teams competed in the Manchester YMCA Holiday Invitational Tournament in Bow.

The Nashua Club Team consisting of all K-4th graders had 16 wrestlers attend, of which eight came home with hardware for their efforts.

Finishing with first place bragging rights was Colby Vancelette (2-0). Capturing second place honors were Patrick Melanson and Andrew Lovell (2-1). Gaining third place medals were Anthony Fernandez, Zack Rioux, Owen Duda, Nathan Zalzal, Garrett Hillard (3-1).

Earning fourth place honors were Brody Burke and Drew Fleury. Also wrestling well for the Club Team were Kyle Vancelette, Parker Fleury, Craig Freni, Andrew Tate, Jaiden Dupont and Kayla Armstrong.

The Nashua Gate City Wrestlers, comprised of the Nashua Boys & Girls Club Middle School wrestlers (5-8), had 10 grapplers, of which seven finished in the top four.

Capturing first place honors were Cam Bennett, Kevin Melanson, Ryan Jigarjian all 3-0. Third place finisher Ryan Rice was 3-1 and fourth place honors went to Anthony Fiorentino, Thomas Christian and Aren Kennedy. Jacob Michaud, James Montbleau and Christian Montbleau rounded out the team.

GYMNASTICS

NEGTC Level 7, 8, 9 compete in Bow qualifing meet

NEGTC of Hudson competed in a qualifing meet in Bow on Dec. 19. Gymnasts were competing to qualify in the up coming State Sectional. A score of 31.000 All Around was needed to qualify. Many top place individual ribbons and medals were taken home by our gymnasts.

Level 7

8-11 Age Division

Camille Lamont, Londonderry placed 3rd All Around with a score of 25.450. She received a 8.4 on Vault (2nd ) 8.45 on Beam (2nd) 8.6 on Floor (2nd )

Meghan Veino, Nashua. placed 4th All Around with a score of 15.750. She received a 7.95 on Bars, 7.8 on Beam.

Level 7

12-13 Age Division

Jill McIntire, Londonderry placed 1st All Around with a score of 35.550. She received a 8.775 on Vault (4th ) 8.9 on Bars( 2nd ) 8.625 on Beam (5th ) 9.25 on Floor(1st)

Valerie Boucher, Litchfield All Around score of 27.050. She received a 9.075 on Vault (1st ) 8.75 on Beam(4th ) 9.225 on Floor(2nd )

Amanda Forti, Windham All Around score of 25.450. She received a 8.55 o Vault (8th) 8.45 on Bars (3rd ) 8.45 on Beam (8th)

Level 8

8-11 Age Division

Hailey Reiff, Litchfield placed 1st All Around with a score of 35.700. She received a 8.9 on Vault (2nd ) 8.75 on Bars(1st) 9.0 on Beam(1st) 9.05 on Floor (1st)

Level 8

12 Age Division

Abby Guilfoil, Nashua placed 3rd All Around with a score of 33.425. She received a 8.575 on Vault(2nd) 7.85 on Bars (3rd ) 8.3 on Beam (4th) 8.7 on Floor (4th )

Level 9

12-13 Age Division

Carly Ramirez, Hudson placed 1st All Around with a score of 33.375. She received a 7.9 on Vault (2nd) 7.85 on Bars(2nd) 8.85 on Beam( 1st) 8.725 on Floor (2nd)

Alanna Murphy, Nashua placed 2nd All Around with a score of 32.800 She received a 8.35 on Vault (1st) 8.05 on Bars (1st) 7.525 on Beam (2nd ) 8.875 on Floor (1st).

SKATING

Synchro Stars earn silver in Cape Cod

The Synchro Stars Synchronized Skating teams took home silver medals in their divisions at the 16th Annual Cape Cod Synchronized Classic held in Bourne, Mass.

This is the first year for the Synchro Stars who skate out of the Cyclone Arena in Hudson and represent the Gate City Figure Skating Club. The Cape Cod Classic is the first major competition in the Synchro East Challenge Series.

The Beginner 1 team skated to a vacation theme and Beginner 3 team skated to a pretty woman theme earning both teams a silver medal in their divisions. The next competition for the teams will be Jan. 9-10 at the Colonial Synchronized Classic at the Tsongas Center in Lowell, Mass.

The Beginner 3 team is made up of Kiara Chase, Dari de la Rosa, Emily Fleming, Olivia Gomez, Jessica Hanifan, Jackie Knight, Caroline Mandeville and Enmilyann Nault.

The Beginner 1 team is made up of Lexi Clark, Arianna Concepcion, Isabelle Gates, Amanda Gedrich, Hannah Goldthwait, Katya Johnson, Lydia Lewis, Ashley Raiff, Danielle Zajchowski and Shanni Zhou.

HOCKEY

Hollis Squirt I wins Groton Tourney

Hollis Cavaliers Squirt I won the Groton Junior Hockey Association Christmas Tournament with a record of 4-0. The Cavs two offensive lines of Isaac Rogers, Jonathan Young, Maddie Pitre and Trent Costa, Max Sears and TJ Vitullo combined for a total of 22 goals.

The Cavs defensive unit, led by tournament MVP and goalie Ben Goolsby and the defensive pairs of Alec MacEachen/Max Porter and Sean Kelly/Dean Poulin shut down all opposing teams allowing a total of only five goals.

In their opener, the Cavaliers stopped PAT Squirt I 3-1. The Cavs then shut down the Woonsocket North Stars 8-2.

In their next game, the Cavs defeated the Manchester Flames 4-2. In the tournament final, the Cavaliers faced PAT again. Jumping out with two goals in the first two minutes of play, the Cavs never looked back in a 7-0 win over PAT.

TRYOUTS

Basketball

• The New Hampshire Flames, a southern New Hampshire-based girls AAU basketball club, will hold tryouts for their spring 2011 teams on Jan. 8 and 9.

On Saturday tryouts will be held at the Rivier College Muldoon Health and Fitness Center in Nashua. On Sunday they will be held at Nashua Catholic Junior High School. There is no tryout fee.

If you have questions, call Jim Duggan at 429-1555 or e-mail him at jdugganbball@aol.com. To find out more about about the Flames, visit www.nhflames.org.

• The non-profit NH Spartans/Lady Spartans have announced their 2011 spring season tryouts. Tryout will take place at the Derry Sportszone (7A St., Derry). Jan. 8’s schedule: BOYS/GIRLS GRADE 3rd, 4th, 5th – 2-3 p.m.; BOYS/GIRLS GRADE 6th, 7th – 3-4:15; BOYS/GIRLS GRADE 8th, 9th – 4:15-5:30; BOYS GRADE 10th, 11th, 12th – 5:30-6:30. Feb. 12 schedule: BOYS AND GIRLS GRADE 3rd, 4th, 5th – 2-3 p.m.; BOYS/GIRLS GRADE 6th, 7th – 3-4:15 p.m.; BOYS/GIRLS GRADE 8th, 9th – 4:15-5:30; BOYS GRADE 10th, 11th, 12th – 5:30-6:30. Feb. 22 schedule: BOYS/GIRLS 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th – 5:30-6:30 p.m.; BOYS GRADE 7th, 8th – 6:30-7:30; GIRLS GRADE 7th, 8th, 9th – 6:30-7:30; BOYS 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th – 7:30-8:30.

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